Overstepping the Line
by daisygirl101
Summary: Sequel to 'So Why Haven't You'. Even though they share the same love of pizza, terrible detective shows, and one another's company, the grey line between Frank Hardy and Nancy Drew will always be there- until someone steps over it.


Taking a small break from "Remember Me?"

Also, I recently discovered that Frank owns a motorcycle. I think I just died and went to heaven.

 **Note: This is a sequel to "So Why Aren't You?". Read that one first!**

* * *

Nancy Drew walked towards gate number twenty-five and looked down at the boarding pass in her hands. She sighed aloud and shifted her bag on her shoulder. Nancy didn't like giving up; in fact, she hated it.

Yet she had done it. As the cab was passing the airport, she had a change of heart. Ned was waiting for her back home. And although Callie was out of his life now, Frank was free to date whomever he wanted to. It was possible he had found someone new within the last year, as Nancy had fallen out of touch with the brothers. She idly wondered how Joe was doing with Vanessa, and if he had been the recent victim of any kidnappings.

She thought about Fenton Hardy's detective business. Her thoughts drifted to Laura and that wonderful pie she made for the holidays one year. She wondered if Laura had made the pie again recently.

All of her thoughts seemed to center on Frank though. Had he changed? Probably not. Had he applied to a college yet? Had he picked one already? What was he going to do? How was he doing? But perhaps the boldest question in her mind was, 'does he ever think of me?'

"Miss?" Nancy looked up from the ground and dragged herself away from her thoughts. There was a stewardess in front of her, wearing a weak smile. "I'm sorry, but did you hear the announcement?"

"No, I didn't. Is everything okay?" As Nancy looked around, she noticed many of the people that were sitting in the terminal were now gone.

"There's a snowstorm in Chicago. They don't believe it will pass until tomorrow afternoon. The flight is canceled," the stewardess explained. Nancy sighed and pressed her head into her hands. "This is a voucher for a ticket tomorrow evening. The storm should clear by then. We're also escorting passengers to the hotel down the street for a place to stay tonight. We will cover the room. Is there anyone else traveling with you today?"

"No," Nancy said as she shook her head and took the slip of paper from the woman.

"So just one room, one bed then?" the calm stewardess asked as she looked over a clipboard in her hand.

"Actually, I have friends in the area. I think I'll try to call them first," the detective told the woman with a weak smile. The woman smiled in return and nodded.

"Well, just let me know as soon as possible, please." The woman walked away and Nancy fished her phone out of her purse. She took a deep breath before dialing a number from memory.

* * *

"Touchdown!" Ned Nickerson yelled gleefully as his cellphone rang. He answered the phone with a smile. "Nancy! Are you waiting in JFK Airport?"

"Yeah, but there's a hang up. There's a snowstorm in Chicago right now. The flight is canceled," Nancy explained.

"Oh, Nan, that's terrible. When is the next flight?"

"Tomorrow evening," she groaned.

"Are they putting you guys up in a hotel?"

"Yeah, they are, but I'm not staying at a hotel. Can we talk about something?" Nancy fiddled with the zipper on her jacket.

"Then where are you… Frank. That's what this is about, isn't it?" Ned asked. Nancy swallowed hard.

"Yeah, that's what this is about. Look, Ned, I really care about you and-"

"Nancy, I don't need the talk again," he interrupted her, referring to the other various times Frank and Nancy had something special turn into a miniscule something. "I know you care. But I know you love him," he replied with a sigh.

"Well, I don't know-"

"Is it weird to think I could see this coming?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Ned, please listen-"

"You tell me I'm a great guy, and as selfish as this is going to sound, I like to agree with you. But I can't compete with Frank Hardy, oh no." Ned's voice was almost laced with poison.

"Ned! Let me talk!" Nancy begged.

"Nancy. I know how this ends. Just get to the point."

"No! I have things I want to say and I'm going to say them! This relationship wasn't going to work like this. You have to understand that while we were a team, I have a life of my own, too. It's absolutely true that I care about you, and you're so close to me that I don't want to lose you. You really do mean a lot to me, and you're a great guy, but I just don't think you're the one for me," Nancy finally confessed. She heard a heavy sigh.

"Okay, Nancy Drew. If that's what you want," Ned sighed. Nancy swallowed hard.

"Maybe next week we can sit down and sort this all out?"

"Well, I'll think about it. I think I'll be ready to talk by Monday," Ned added. Nancy smiled in relief.

"That would be great." As Nancy finished up her phone call, she gathered her items together and walked to the nearest bathroom. She said goodbye to Ned and bit her lip. She wasn't upset, but she was upset at the same time. She fought back the tears. She had just said goodbye to a very long relationship with a great guy for a risky move. She splashed some water on her face and sighed.

After fixing her appearance and taking a few deep breaths, Nancy sat back down at the empty gate twenty-five and dialed a ten-digit number she had memorized.

"Nancy!" came an excited voice from the other side of the phone. Nancy smiled.

"Well it's great to talk to you, too, Frank," she replied.

"Please tell me you're calling with a case," Frank begged.

"No, actually I have a huge favor to ask," Nancy hesitated.

"Anything for Miss Nancy Drew. What can I do for you?" A faint pink tint came over Nancy's cheeks.

"I just finished a case in New York, but my flight home is delayed until tomorrow evening. And since I really don't want to spend the next 32 hours in this airport, is it possible that I could sleep on your couch for the night?" Nancy pleaded, although she had a feeling Frank wouldn't have a problem with it.

"Ha! Forget the case opportunity thing! I get to see you today? That's a thousand times better. You can always crash here, Nance. Are you at JFK Airport?"

"Yeah, I am. I can catch a cab to your house though," Nancy said as she gathered her bag.

"Oh no, I'm coming to get you. You are not paying the cab fare here; it's utterly ridiculous," Frank insisted as he gathered his keys and grabbed his wallet.

"Frank! You don't have to do that," Nancy gushed.

"No I'm definitely coming to pick you up. This house is so dreadfully boring. Joe has been out with Vanessa all morning and mom and dad are at work. There's nothing to do here. I'll see you in about thirty minutes?"

"Sounds great," Nancy replied as she felt the butterflies fly free in her stomach.

"Okay. Bye, Nance."

"Talk to you later."

* * *

Thirty minutes dragged by slowly. Nancy had let the gate attendant know that she wouldn't be needing a room for the night, but that had probably been the most exciting thing in the last half hour, despite the quick trip to the convenience stand and eating the overpriced bag of peanuts. At the twenty-minute mark, Nancy decided to start to make her way back down to the airport entrance.

Her thoughts drifted back to that darn Frank Hardy. What an enigma that boy- no, that man- had become. They had grown up much in their time together. There were no more tag games on the playground, no more ice cream prizes after solving a case, and no more staying up late and telling ghost stories that the others tried to debunk. Nancy usually didn't let these days cross her mind, as these were the days when her mother, Kate Drew, still lived and breathed and held Nancy close. She liked to tuck those memories away until her life called for them to cross her mind.

Nancy sat down on a bench outside the terminal. Just another five minutes and her thirty-minute waiting period would be up. She tapped her heel lightly on the cement as she watched the people pick up and drop off their loved ones. A couple wasn't too far from where Nancy was sitting. She watched them exchange their affection and drive away together.

Had she made the right decision on Ned? Perhaps not. Had she truly just tossed away years worth of loyalty and 'love' for a possible relationship that she didn't even know if she could have? _No,_ Nancy told herself, _this is best for everyone involved._ But had it really been?

Her head shot up when a silver car bring driven by a brunet boy pulled up to the curb. The driver jumped out of the car and ran over to her. "Nancy! You sure look great," Frank awed over her and hugged her close.

Nancy gave a small smile in return. "Well you don't look too bad yourself, Hardy." Frank grabbed her bags and walked back over to the car. He opened the door for Nancy, who gave a smile and climbed into the car. Frank hopped into the driver's seat and they pulled away from the curb.

"So what could have brought you to New York? And a case in New York where Joe and I don't receive a personal invitation? I'm hurt, Nan," Frank joked with her. Nancy tried not to roll her eyes.

"Well if you must know, you nosy Hardy boy, I was at an elite boarding school exclusively for girls. There was a mysterious black cat roaming the halls, leaving notes for the valedictorian candidates and then causing events to send them away from the school."

"Well I'm sure that cat won't be causing anymore trouble, will she detective?"

"Certainly not where she's heading. Her parents were very upset," Nancy finished. "But enough about casework. How're you? How's Joe?"

"Joe's always Joe; weekends with Vanessa, weekdays trying to pay attention in class, and every other weekend with some kidnappers. Vanessa is starting to get jealous of the kidnappers I think," Frank joked. Nancy couldn't help but chuckle. Frank always had that effect on her. He calmed her, brought her back to a positive light. "How are things back home with you? How is Ned?" And there goes the positive light.

"Well, I guess things could be worse…" Nancy drifted off uncomfortably. Frank's smile faded.

"Nan, what's wrong?"

"We just broke up." A beat of silence passed.

"Gosh, I'm sorry Nancy. Don't tell me it happened today."

"Yeah, actually right before I called you. It was my fault. Things just weren't going to work. I think Ned was a little too overwhelmed by my life style choices."

"Well I'm really sorry to hear that. Let's do something to cheer you up," Frank suggested. "How about once we get to the house, we can watch those crummy old detective shows and I'll fix you something to eat?"

Nancy managed a smile. "Sure Frank, that sounds nice." The car came to a stop as a sea of brake lights sat in front of them. "Just as soon as we get through the traffic!"

* * *

Nancy was on her fourth slice of pizza. It turned out that Frank couldn't cook to save his life; so ordering a pizza seemed to be their only route. The two detectives sat on the couch together, eating pizza out of the box and wrapped up under an old blanket, watching awful '60s detective shows. "Clearly it's Mrs. Boungin," Nancy countered. Frank shook his head with a 'tsk'.

"No, it's got to be Mr. Jodanski. His motive makes more sense."

"Frank, please. Mrs. Boungin was guilty from the first minute of this episode."

"Nancy, Mr. Jodanski was guilty from the first _second_ of this episode." Nancy managed a laugh and leaned onto Frank's shoulder. His presence was comforting, and it's not like cuddling was foreign to them. Nancy and Frank had been childhood friends- they practically knew everything about one another. As Nancy leaned into Frank, Frank draped his arm around her.

"Oh, this is it!" Nancy said eagerly. Frank chuckled as he looked down at her. Nancy was so many things- smart, funny, quirky, adorable, kind, and so incredibly beautiful. He considered himself fortunate to know Nancy past her detective exterior. As Frank looked up, Detective Minnerly was slamming paperwork onto the chief's desk.

"This document explains it all. Mr. Jodanski could not have killed Mr. Deo. He could not have made it from work to the murder site in time."

"So Mrs. Boungin is the one to blame!" the chief exclaimed.

"Hah!" Nancy muttered. Frank shook his head and chuckled.

"That's what I believed too, but Mrs. Boungin is innocent too. She is not strong enough to leave the bruises on the victim's neck," Detective Minnerly said.

"So who could have killed John Deo?" the chief asked.

"It was Paul Sinda," the TV detective said proudly. Both Nancy and Frank gave an exasperated sigh.

"These old detective shows never make sense!" Frank exclaimed.

"I know! Paul Sinda barely knew John Deo! Ugh!" Nancy groaned. The front door near the living room swung open, and in walked Laura Hardy. She looked cold and tired from her shift at the flower market. She had been covering the market for a friend who was out of the country. At least it passed the time.

Laura turned to the couch, where she saw Frank's head. "Hello, dear. What sounds good for dinner?" As Frank turned around, Nancy sat up too. Laura's eyes lit up and she smiled. "Why, Nancy Drew, is that you?"

"It's good to see you, Mrs. Hardy," Nancy beamed with a smile. Frank's mom had become a close maternal figure for Nancy, especially after Kate passed away.

"What in the world are you doing so far from home, and in a snow storm, nonetheless?" Laura asked as she set down her purse and stepped closer to the couch. The two detectives on the couch tried to put some space in their warm cuddle session to keep Laura from getting any ideas.

"Well, I just wrapped up a case closer to New York City and was on my way home when my flight was canceled because of the snow. Frank offered me your couch for the night. I hope that's okay," Nancy said bashfully as she glanced over at Frank, who shrugged his shoulders when he realized he forgot to tell anyone else that Nancy was at the house.

"The couch? Absolutely not. You are staying in the guest room. No questions asked. You're family, Nancy. And you are always welcome to stay." Laura glanced over at the table with the empty pizza box on it. "Well I see you already had dinner," Laura joked. "How about I make myself a sandwich, and then I'll make some of the pie you love, dear," Laura said with a smile. Nancy nodded.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hardy. After the long trip, that does sound wonderful."

"Of course. Frank, why don't you take Nancy's bags up to the guest room?"

"Sure, mom," Frank replied and stood, leaving Nancy a little cold.

"Oh, I'll get it. Please," Nancy said as she stood and grabbed her bags. "It's up the stairs and on the left, right?" Frank didn't answer right away. He couldn't look away from her eyes. For a moment, she thought he was going to lean down and kiss her.

"Yeah," Frank breathed out and smiled. Nancy nodded and broke the trance between them as she carried her bags upstairs. Frank wandered into the kitchen to talk to his mom. "So, how was work?"

"When are you going to ask Nancy on a date?" Laura asked, completely ignoring Frank's question. Frank was thrown off for a minute.

"What?" Laura set down the bag of bread and glared at her son.

"When. Are you. Going to ask. Nancy. On. A. Date?" she asked slowly and in a condescending matter. Frank opened his mouth, and then closed it again.

"Mom, I have no clue what you're talking about." _A complete bluff,_ Frank thought.

"Oh honey, you two have been made for each other. You get along so well. You're like peas in a pod."

"Okay, even if that were true, she just broke up with Ned earlier today. I can't do that to her."

"Did you ask her why?" Laura questioned as she slapped together two pieces of bread.

"Well, no. But she said that Ned wasn't right for her lifestyle. That things weren't going to work," Frank replied, slightly on the defense.

"Well that is a shame. Still, don't completely douse your feelings for her. You've had your eyes on that girl for more than a decade," Laura joked. Frank couldn't keep the redness from his cheeks.

"Mom," he groaned.

"Alright, alright. Enough teasing. Go see if Nancy needs help. She hasn't come back down yet," Laura instructed as she bit into her PB & J. Frank nodded, grateful to have the conversation come to an end, and headed towards the staircase.

Nancy stood upstairs, not in the guest room, but in Frank's room. As of just last year, Joe and Frank had shared a room. Now with Vanessa over often, Joe had earned his own room, and Frank had spread his own belongings across the room now. She looked at all of the photos that hung from the walls and the trinkets placed on the bookshelf. She recognized more than one photo from a case together. A little bottle of sand was placed on the top of his desk. Nancy picked it up to examine it.

"You are quite the snoop, Miss Drew," Nancy heard from the doorway. She almost dropped the bottle of sand. "It's from our trip to Egypt." Nancy's cheeks immediately flushed from the memory. She continued to stare at Frank like a deer in the headlights. "I guess you got settled okay. How did you end up in here? I expected you to follow directions better." Nancy blushed. She set the bottle of sand down.

"Well, I haven't been in here since Joe moved to his own room and just wanted to see what you've done with the space. It has been over a year since I've been in the house, and at least six months since I've seen you. I mean, we've both been so busy with casework and our lives that our schedules just don't-" Frank couldn't take it any longer. He stormed over to Nancy, grabbed her by the waist, and kissed her. Nancy's body almost went limp from shock, but she recovered and pulled Frank closer. The kiss felt different than the earlier ones they'd shared. This one felt more passionate, more caring, and more… desperate.

Frank gazed down at Nancy longingly. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," Frank muttered. "I hope I'm not overstepping a line here…"

"Not at all," Nancy interrupted. She gave a lighthearted chuckle. "It was nice." Frank smiled down in return. "But Frank…"

"Hey, I can wait as long as you need me to, Nan," he interrupted before Nancy could finish. She smiled in return and nodded.

"I want this just as badly as you do, but the timing's not right. Maybe in a few months, when things with Ned have settled down…"

"Of course. Take the time you need," Frank replied, a hint of sorrow in his tone. He wished Nancy would date him right off the bat, but her understood her request for time.

"Promise you'll wait for me?" Frank dipped down and kissed her again.

"As you wish, Miss Drew."


End file.
